Car companies tell us the buttons on your dashboard are soon to be replaced with pinches and swipes. Some are already pushing even further with touch screens you don’t actually touch. Let’s look closer at some of this tech and see if it’s actually worth being wide-eyed over.

Apple CarPlay allows you to use your vehicle’s infotainment system to mirror the interface on your phone, and millions of iPhones are already equipped to use it over a wireless connection. Too bad Volkswagen was blocked from showing it off during this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.

I was really excited when Google announced Android Auto last year. I spend a lot of time driving, and it sounded way safer and more convenient than sticking my phone to the dash. Eleven months later, I finally got to take it for a spin. The TL;DR version? I want it in my car, like, now. I bet you’d like it too.

We all want different things from our infotainment systems. But there's been one resounding request from almost everyone: make our smartphones play nice with our dashboard, no matter what device we use. Well, it's here. It's awesome. And, per usual, automakers are stalling.

Harman has developed an augmented reality display technology that give you real-time information in your windshield while you drive. It's like Google Glasses for your ar except that the product is actually about to launch it (or so they say...). And Harman promises you won't crash while using it.

XM was showing off a "Concept Infotainment Vehicle" at its Auto Show booth (next to Sirius's, natch). Basically, it was an SUV outfitted with a integrated pack of XM services: Weather, ParkingLink, and voice controls were the main showing points.